pm9 - blackened slide

[popgoestheweasel]

i'm thinking of buying a pm9 - black- with night sights. i think it's the 9094n? i've noticed msrp on this gun is about 50 bucks more than the pm9 with the matte stainless slide. so, kahr is pretty proud of their blackened stainless slide.

i'm wondering how durable the blackened stainless process is in terms of....scratch resistance, chipping, durability, wearability (if carried in an iwb holster), user friendly, .....'you pick the term'.

from what i recall reading on kahr's website, it says the blackened 'material' is the same used on knives. would that be called anodize?

i'm guessing it's not nice to talk price on this subforum, but i don't recall the rules so i'll ask (while holding my breath) anyways. what is the 'going price' (ballpark) one (careful shopper) would expect to pay for the pm9 -black- with night sights?

[apdturbo]

hey, i have the pm9 in black with standard sights. i iwb carry with either a blackhawk nylon or desantis softuk. the slide itself shows no wear, however i have noticed the sharp edges of the slide stop lever are wearing a little, nothing major. like i said its only on the sharp edges that obviously make contact with the holster, none of the flat surfaces of the slide stop show wear.

[Jitterbug]

I've got one of each, the blackened slide is from 2004 and get's carried everyday in my pocket. No wear at all on the slide, however the finish on the sights which is just a standard finish has worn off.

Whatever the stuff is, it is extremely durable. Some 2000 plus rounds and 7 years later it still looks like new.

The regular stainless model is a new gun only a few months old, we went with the regular stainless on "her" gun just to quickly tell which gun is which and to save $70.

But, man, that black diamond coat is tuff and I'd love to have it on my stainless 1911.

[Rmruder]

Just bought that model. Can't tell you about wear since I've only had it about a month, but definitely like the black look and the night sights. I got a silent thunder holster for it since it has a leather liner inside the Kydex shell. I'm hoping that helps with any wear concerns. The only thing I have seen so far as I keep working the gun in and out of the holster is that it got just a little shiny on a few spots, but when I rub it down it goes back to matte so far.

I have been using an M-tach up until know on my other carry guns, which is half leather and half Kydex and it's been fine with my M&Ps for a couple of years. I have also used Bladetech all Kydex and they're pretty good for OTW but they are a little noisy and do seem to leave a few marks. For an inexpensive leather holster, I use a High Noon for my all black 380 and it works fine for a small gun.

The black finish on the PM9 seems pretty durable, so if you like black it seems like it should be fine. I got mine at Buds, who has good prices, and since I live in Kentucky I can pick up my purchases at the store without extra FFL transfer costs. Great small carry 9mm!

[jocko]

I've got one of each, the blackened slide is from 2004 and get's carried everyday in my pocket. No wear at all on the slide, however the finish on the sights which is just a standard finish has worn off.

Whatever the stuff is, it is extremely durable. Some 2000 plus rounds and 7 years later it still looks like new.

The regular stainless model is a new gun only a few months old, we went with the regular stainless on "her" gun just to quickly tell which gun is which and to save $70.

But, man, that black diamond coat is tuff and I'd love to have it on my stainless 1911.

if u check with some of the gun refinishers out there that they can put qa finish on your 1911 thatis jkust as durable as the dlc finish kahr has on their slides. It is not rocket science for those who know what they are doing and who do it for a living. no doubt this fourmj can help you with good names also.

[OldLincoln]

My experience with the black is it is a bit blotchy here and there. From what I gather on the forum, mine was less than optimal. It is holding up well so yes it is durable. My expectation was that the black would be even like the bluing on my other guns, so I was disappointed.

If I had it to do over, I would buy the stainless, smooth the sharp edges and send it off for a black coating. The cost of after market black is under $150 so it nets around $100.

[340pd]

Mine is on the way. It is a gun. Wear marks add character. Use it as it was intended. Don't worry about day to day scuffs. It is the round hole at the end you need to keep like new.

[MikeG]

I got the black pm9 about 3 months ago, not long I know but still not a single mark on the slide, even tho the frame and sights are showing a little wear already. It came with a tiny spot, smaller than a pinhole, not blackened, but that's just personality in my eyes. That dlc is supposed to be so tough you can't scratch it with a knife, but I haven't tested that.
Edit: whatever it is it's not anodized, it's way tougher. And I paid about $720, with night sights and a military discount and without shopping around. I'm sure you can do better but I'm lazy

[Jitterbug]

If I use M-Pro 7 to clean it, sometimes the finish will look a bit dull and blotchy, but, if I use CLP afterward and rub it in well with a dry cloth it looks just fine.

Jocko, the 10mm Dan Wesson 1911 stainless, scratches easyily, it's on it's 5th summer now, is a woods carry and does get carried and fired quite a bit. It's steel and with light loads it's a good range gun for extended shooting, so it's well used.

One of these days...when more cash is available...I'll be sending it off to a wonderful Dan Wesson gunsmith out in Nevada (Dave Severns) for a black coat and a thorough run through and tuning.

Unlike the stainless finish on the wife's PM9 I might add...I don't have it in front of me at the moment, since it goes with her everywhere and she's off to work, but, I do like the Kahr Stainless finish so far it appears to be quite durable.

Personally I just prefer the looks of the Black Diamond even more. When I bought mine back in 2004 I handled both and had the extra cash in pocket so went with the Diamond coat since I prefer black on most guns.

But if money were tight (usually is) I wouldn't hesitate to go the stainless route on the Kahr. Either way Kahr does a good job on the finish.